ROSEVILLE, CALIF. (March 25, 2011) - UFCW 8-Golden State President Jacques Loveall announced that Union volunteers established an informational picket line at a newly-opened Fresh & Easy store in Modesto today.

The picket line is in front of the store near the intersection of Oakdale Road and East Briggsmore Avenue. The Union continues its informational picket lines in front of Fresh & Easy stores in Bakersfield, Reedley, Fresno and other locations.

Loveall said the Union is asking the public not to shop at Fresh & Easy and to shop instead at stores such as Save Mart, Raley's, Safeway, Food Maxx, Maxx Value, Cost Less and Rite Aid.

“Tesco, which is Fresh & Easy's parent company in the United Kingdom, is siphoning money out of our community,” Loveall said. “We are responding to that provocation.”

“California has enough challenges without a foreign company coming in with substandard jobs that threaten good, local companies that bring value and good jobs to our community. It's bad enough good American jobs are exported overseas at an alarming rate, now this global giant from the UK is coming to our country thinking they can take advantage of American workers on our own turf,” Loveall said.

“We will not allow that to happen,” he said.

Loveall noted that Fresh & Easy's incursion into the United States poses a threat to Union market share and to the living standards of Union members' wages and benefits.

“Our members are prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure that workers at Fresh & Easy have the same access to the good pay, health care, pension and job security enjoyed by Union members,” Loveall said.

UFCW 8-Golden State represents working men and women throughout the state of California.